I was in my favorite little breakfast diner last Saturday. The place was packed, with a line forming outside, but flying solo, I was able to sneak into the warm embrace of a single seat at the counter. No waiting. Nice.

Settling in to my high-back swivel chair, my eyes scanned the top of the tile counter, just a few feet away from the two-man cooking team working its magic at the grill. Packets of powdered sugar. Small jars of jam. Ketchup. All kinds of goodies. Quickly, I noticed something amiss. No Secret Aardvark sauce.

"This is not good."

Though not known as a lover of spicy foods or tobasco, I had been converted to the wonders of Secret Aardvark sauce after finding out that my friend Scotland Barr was the genius behind its creation. Now a plate of eggs just seems so run-of-the-mill without a tiny pool of Secret Aardvark occupying some space on the plate (alongside a small citrus slice to help bring my mouth back into balance).

I didn't have the emotional reserves required to ask my waitress what happened to the Secret Aardvark. This was less than a week after learning that Scotland had passed away, succumbing after a brave, year-long fight with pancreatic cancer. Since that dreaded phone call just a few days prior, nothing seemed quite right. Nothing has since.

I had known Scotland for about four years. Appropriately, we met in a record store. He and his girlfriend (future wife) Stacy had come with my friends Alison and Barry to The Lonesomes in-store performance at the now-defunct Music Millennium NW here in Portland. Our band was promoting the release of our first full-length record, "Circling The Sun."

Tall and lanky, with long, scraggly hair and thick, bushy eyebrows, Scotland cut a striking figure. He was wearing a black Ramones t-shirt and ripped up jeans . . . very rock and roll. And right off the bat, he was very inquisitive. What was I doing to promote the record? Had I secured any distribution for it? Would we be touring?

I hadn't met anybody so interested in the marketing of my little Lonesome band, and it was especially strange coming from someone I had just met. He was curious, he said, because he had a band and they were working on a record and it would be done soon. Unlike me, he had already begun formulating a plan to make sure his band's record wouldn't be shipped straight to the scrap heap, or worse, totally ignored.

We became instant friends.

Soon enough, "Legionnaires Disease," the debut record from Scotland Barr and the Slow Drags, was ready to hit the streets. Before a Lonesomes show at White Eagle, he slipped me a homemade copy of the record, which I still have and cherish to this day.

Giving it a spin, a few things struck me right away. Well, mainly one thing. His voice. It was a kind of mix between Shane McGowan and Tom Petty, sort of sweet yet whiskey soaked. I realized right away that maybe our friendship was founded on the notion that he had found a buddy who, though not blessed with a perfect voice, was willing to put it out there for the sake of getting the songs out there.

And the songs were what Scotland Barr was all about. And man, what amazing songs. That didn't take long for me to understand. Lyrically brilliant, Scotland had an enormous gift for melody. His choruses were catchy at first listen, and some of the arrangements were among the best I had heard from anybody I actually knew. Anybody, period. I mean, jeez, the guy could write a bridge that just soared. See "The Distance" from Legionnaires Disease for proof. It remains among my absolute favorites.

Soon our bands began hooking up, and many a great rock show followed. The Lonesomes were honored with an invite to play the CD Release for Legionnaires Disease at what's become our favorite little haunt, Duff's Garage. Later we road-tripped to Hood River, where Scotland introduced us to the bar manager, saying, "You're gonna love these Lonesomes." He did, and we've been great comrades with the crew at River City Saloon ever since.

Then Scotland took his band further down the road, winning hearts, minds and ears all over the West with a steady dose of awesome country-rock songs and great musicianship. Great guys, too. Our friendships with the Drags only grew deeper over the years, along with our respect for what they were doing.

It didn't seem very long before record No. 2 from the Slow Drags was ready for waiting. Promotional copies of "All The Great Aviators Agree" were sent out, and the first review Scot saw, from some no-talent hack, was not kind. My phone rang a minute later.

"Some asshole just gave us zero stars!!!!!" he screamed in the phone. Knowing the record was destined for much more love than that, I talk him off the ledge while Googling for more reviews. Within 10 seconds, I had found a half-dozen very positive reviews and shared them with him. (Apparently, being insecure divas had been a key bond in our friendship.) When it was all said and done, he had reviewers nationwide (including industry standard-bearer No Depression) spewing endless superlatives regarding the record.

And when it came time for the record-release show time, a tiny joint like Duff's Garage just wouldn't do. He booked the Mission Theatre, about 20 times bigger than Duff's, and sold it to the media as a big event. The media was buying. A huge throng of worshippers plunked down their hard-earned cash to spend the night with Scotland. I ended up pretty hammered that night, doing shots of whiskey and pounding pints in the balcony, far away from the spotlight. It was so great to see Scotland up there, delivering the goods. I know he was a nervous wreck, but he never let the crowd know it.

That was the spring of 2008, and when fall rolled around and his band hit the road to build on the growing buzz, it seemed like there was nothing that could stop the mighty Scotland Barr. Alas, illness stepped in to block the way of this indomitable spirit. Days later, the Drags were back in town, their leader laid low by about the worst medical report a person can get. Stage Four Pancreatic Cancer. Chances for survival, slim to none.

Anybody who knew Scotland also knew the battler, the brawler. You knew he wasn't gonna take that diagnosis as a death sentence. He battled, for sure, and his spirit never seemed to sink. I suppose there were plenty of times, in private, that he felt sorry for himself. That's only fair. But he would never, ever let me or anybody else know that for sure. He was one brave dude.

Now he's gone, and the rest of us are left to take stock of what he meant to us, how his spirit still fills us, and how we can find ways to be more like him. A great friend, a great player, a very tough act to follow.

Last Saturday, I knew it was the wrong thing to do, but I gave a squirt of some other, run-of-the-mill hot sauce just to see if it would help measure the greatness of my friend and the profundity of my sadness. Sure enough, that hot sauce totally and unequivocally sucked.

And so will this world for a while, without my friend, his humor and his music.

Rest in peace, buddy. Though you will live in my heart forever, I'll miss you more than I could ever say.

-- Philly 09-10-09

Howdy folks . . . yes, yes, it's been a while. So much going on in our Lonesome little world, badly need to catch you up . . .

Well, for starters, the record is buzzing along nicely, and we've decided to mix a few of the new tunes ahead of the big release and share them with you here at MySpace. That process is happening as we speak, so it shouldn't be but a few weeks now that you'll get to hear what the stuff is sounding like. Simply put, we're super excited with the way things are going and think you'll dig what you hear.

Ahead of that, we've decided to share a live cut from earlier this year . . . Summer Friend Live from The Loft . . . this duet version features Philly on acoustic guitar and vocal and MD on electric . . . it was taken from a performance opening for Rubella Graves, who had a private CD Release show hosted by MD at The Loft . . . MZ recorded it, mixed it and gave it a touch of polish. It's here for you now, Summer Friend, to listen to and download. Share your thoughts after listening.

Thanks to everybody who came out to the Airplay Cafe show on June 26 with James Sasser. What a great vibe in the room that evening. For the record, we performed as a full band with a bit of a stripped down, quieter approach, appropriate for the room and the crowd, which was full of kids (many our own).

We'll be amping up for our two gigs in August . . . Saturday, Aug. 1 Duff's Garage and Saturday, Aug. 22 at Ash Street Saloon . . . we'll be bringing the rock on those occasions . . . join us, won't you?

The Lonesomes will keep you better informed as we wrap up the summer and head toward fall. But not so fast, let's enjoy these warm months together, Summer Friend.

Peace/The Lonesomes

Courtesy of our MySpace buddy "TheHawk" . . . new pics from our recent show at The River City Saloon in Hood River are posted.

Dig 'em.

Good news coming soon. Stay tuned.

Hello friends . . . Phil chiming in with an update from the studio, where we've spent most of our 2009 putting together the next Lonesomes record.

I mentioned a little while back that we were picking up steam in the studio, and I'm happy to report that things still are progressing nicely. For a recent session, we roped in our pal Bryan Daste from Scotland Barr and the Slow Drags to add some pedal steel guitar to a few of the new tunes. That sure was a blast. Bryan's not only an excellent musician but a noted studio engineer, so jamming and sharing ideas with him is always treasured time for the lads.

Our current plan is to prep a few of the songs for early release, hopefully for the start of the summer. So we've been putting a little extra time on "Helping Hands" and "Heaven" to get them ready. They're just about there. After adding a few final touches, we're going to mix and master the pair as a summer promo single to send to our media friends around the globe and offer as a cheap download to you, dear listener. Updates on "Helping Hands b/w Heaven" as they become available.

Also, after a wonderful hiatus, the band has begun accepting show offers again, and you might have noticed we have a gig next weekend in Hood River. We're psyched to be taking it on the road and rehearsing for live performance again. A few more shows are in the works for summer; we'll post 'em here when they're finalized.

Well then . . . what the heck else is going on . . . our buddies North Twin, Rubella Graves and James Sasser have new records out that are awesome . . . also Rachel Taylor Brown, 21 Horses, Emma Hill . . . man, spring is in the air, eh? Good stuff, ahoy!

Well, that's about it. Thanks for stopping by and keeping up with The Lonesomes. Hope to see you soon..

Best/Peace/Phil/Lonesomes/Portland/Oregon/USA/Earth

Aside from . . .

Philly's growing obsession with Magnolia Electric Company . . . Toupee's ear-exhasting listens to all bands coming through The Loft . . . The whole band's ear-exhausting listens to the new Lonesomes studio stuff . . . and catching up with all the great records we missed in '08 . . .

Here's some of the records that have captured our imaginations during the early part of '09:

North Twin, Stronger at the Broken Places
Mark Olson & Gary Louris, Ready for the Flood
Rubella Graves, The World Will End In The Key of G
Bon Iver, Blood Bank
Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit, Jason Isbell & the 400 Unit
Vetiver, Tight Knit
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band, Working on a Dream
M Ward, Hold Time
. . . and just now, picked up during the lunch hour . . .
Neko Case, Middle Cyclone

So there you have it. And a message to all locals . . . North Twin's PDX cd release is Friday night at White Eagle with the Slow Drags, Drunken Prayer and Casey Neill. We'll be fishin' all day, but should make the show. Word.

Hello MySpace Friends,

This is Philly from The Lonesomes checking in with the latest update from our studio project. As many of you have read over recent months, our lil' band has taken on the task of building a new studio space in hopes of recording our next record, which we hope to have out this year.

Well, after much grinding, I'm happy to report that things are starting to take off. We spent much of the back half of 2008 demo-ing the songs while working out the endless technical issues that seemed to hamstring the effort. Two steps forward, one step back was an ongoing theme.

But after much ado, we seem to have found our sweet spot. Recent efforts have yielded some "keeper" tracks, and we're ready to start tearing it up. We should be well on our way to having some strong enough stuff by the time summer roles around. That being said, the continued grinding will follow as well labor to take the process to completion.

While not playing or scheduling any gigs in the interim, the band remains linked and extremely close-knit. The year past allowed us to get super-well-rehearsed on the new material, and we've scheduled a series of recording sessions for the next several months. I think I speak for all in saying this will be our best collection of tunes yet . . . very collaborative, very rocking.

Sadly, our attempts to put together a batch of live stuff from our Christmas Party went awry. Couple of technical issues conspired to doom the project. We put a few ugly things up here at MySpace for a while, just to give you a taste. It was enough for now . . . but we went back to posting the old tunes here. Probably like you, I'm pretty sick of that stuff right now.

When we get something new worth listening to, I promise to post it so y'all can get a preview of the next record. In the meantime, know we're working diligently to get something out by the end of the year. Yes we can!!!!

Best wishes. Hope to see you soon.

Peace/Phil/Lonesomes

Just a note of congrats for Philly's sister Eileen, whose novel "The Heroines" earned recognition from the Rocky Mountain News for "Great Debuts of 2008" . . . . here's what they had to say about her very fun first novel:
The Heroines
By Eileen Favorite. Scribner, $24
Author’s background: Favorite teaches at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago. Her poetry, short stories and essays have appeared in literary magazines and aired on Chicago Public Radio, and one of her short stories was nominated for a Pushcart Prize.
Plot in a nutshell: Thirteen-year-old Penny Entwhistle lives in The Homestead, a bed-and-breakfast her mother runs in an Illinois prairie town. But this is no ordinary B&B — it’s a destination for literary heroines when their plots make them desperate. Catherine Earnshaw checks into The Homestead with a fever after Heathcliff leaves; a penniless Scarlett O’Hara tries to steal the silver and drapes in her room.
Penny’s mother, Anne-Marie, who met her first heroine as a child, cautions her daughter to never interfere with the heroines and risk changing the course of their stories. But when Penny is abducted by a Celtic knight from an ancient fable, reality meets fiction and Anne-Marie must decide whether to tell the truth to save her daughter, or stay quiet and protect literary tradition.
Sample of prose: “Never before had a man leapt from the pages of a book to recapture a Heroine. Deirdre was so depressed — crying all the time and monopolizing Mother’s attention — she must have come from some awful romance. Only a cheap book would have binding too weak to hold back a stereotype like this guy.”
Author reminds me of: Jasper Fforde, author of the literary time-travel book The Eyre Affair.
Best reason to read: Clever and fun, this book combines literary voyeurism with romance, humor and a little real-life angst.
- Vicky Uhland

Happy New Year everybody . . . Philly here chiming in . . . We've had a heckuva holiday season here in P-town with a foot snow waiting for Santa on Christmas Eve. The Lonesomes finally dug out and got together to put a mix on some of the live stuff we recorded back in December at our Holiday Party. Sadly, we discovered that we had a little mishap with a mic on the lead guitar, so we didn't quite get the killer recording we hoped for.

Still, we thought it might be nice to share a few of the songs . . . maybe not in their best light . . . but something for y'all to chew on during these cold winter days. A bit of a beak-dip into what we're working on in the studio.

So give 'em a spin in their naked glory and let us know what you think.

Hope to see you soon, friend.

Peace/Philly/Lonesomes

Howdy Lonesomes Peeps,

It's been some time since the last blog, and we have much to talk about . . . studio updates, what we're listening to, etc. . . . but we'll have to get to that later.

For now, dig the pictures from THE LONESOMES FAMILY CHRISTMAS in our photos section. Pictures come from the mini set we played for the young kids, some snaps from opening band Brass Clouds, and a few from our louder, adult set.

Good times were had by all; the crowd was a blast, the food was awesome, and a viciously awesome jam broke out afterward with some of the finest players in Portland.

We'll have some sounds to share in a few weeks, but for now, enjoy the goofy photos.

Peace/Philly/Lonesomes

Hey gang,

Philly here, chiming in from Lonesomes Central. Things are pretty quiet on our front . . . leaves are turning  . . . recording is coming along. A lovely fall so far here in the Great Northwest.

It's time once again to check in with a seasonal "what we're listening to." As usual, fall is a busy time for new releases, plus a great time for catching up on some of the best from earlier in the year. Dig 'em, and stay cool and dry. Peace

The Shaky Hands, Lunglight
John Doe, A Year in the Wilderness
Okkervil River, The Stand Ins
The Whigs, Mission Control
Robert Forester, The Evangelist
Weinland, La Lamentor
Hayes Carll, Trouble In Mind
Dead Confederate, Wrecking Ball
Vetiver, Things of the Past
Old 97s, Blame it on Gravity